Limitless
by Blue Kaous
Summary: Faced with a health epidemic stemming from his failure, Shadow must put a stop to his greatest challenge yet, while also dealing with his diminishing energy. Is this the end of the line? - Discontinued -
1. Prologue, I: Fog

**Limitless**

**Prologue, Part I: Fog**

**Thursday, September 3rd, 2012**

Where am I?

I hear faint sounds of men talking, but I can't make out their words. Is it another language?

No. It's just distant.

But, how long have I been here? For some reason, the air around me feels foreign. Was I captured? I can't remember. The darkness feels inky, and the air is musky. My senses are overwhelming me, as if I've been asleep for days, or months. My body feels inexplicably fragile – weak.

If only I could stand. As much as I want to, my body seems to rebel against the very idea of it. I'll just rest my head for now. Try and think of what happened. Everything is foggy. How come I can't remember?

It's times like these that make any soldier pray for their deaths to come. As much as that notion seems gratifying right now, I know it's not possible. Or at least I don't think so?

No, I'm the Ultimate Life Form. That's right, I was built by Professor Gerald Robotnik aboard the Space Colony Ark – commonly known as ARK. My initial design was to cure the NIDS afflicted upon my dear friend Maria Robotnik. That's right, GUN killed her. It's all coming back now. After stopping my prototype from destroying the planet, I fell to my doom. My skin burning, the velocity crushing my skeleton – I didn't feel a thing. I was smiling.

But I was saved. By that dastardly man. The one who called himself the grandson of Gerald. A shadow of my creators brilliance, I'd say.

Though, I guess Gerald isn't fully responsible for my creation. Black Doom, essentially my father, helped Gerald complete me. I had been intended to be used as a wager for the Chaos Emeralds not too long ago. GUN had tried killing me, or rather, the Commander, for bringing about the chaos aboard the ARK. I suppose I should take some responsibility.

I'm Shadow the Hedgehog, First Class Officer of the Black Ops division in GUN.

The fog is clearing now. Good. But I still can't see. I've been captured...yeah, that makes more sense. I can't trust GUN anymore, or rather, my division it seems. They're corrupt. They're working for the man intent on world chaos. What was his name again?

Noctis? Yeah, that's it. Enemy number one. How had he managed to create such terror in the world, yet have no ties to anyone on the entire planet? He's like a ghost. No traces of his finger prints, face or DNA on all of GUN's systems. Just what was he?

Foot steps rustle by the entrance to my prison, briefly casting a shadow through the little light being shed into my cell. A couple days ago I would have been able to blast or warp my way free. That man managed to neutralize my power. He called it the Kozir. He's going to use it as a weapon to inflict the entire world.

I have to get out of here, or else the world will be destroyed. Right?

Maria, what do I do?


	2. Prologue, II: Answers

**Limitless**

**Prologue, Part II: Answers**

**Friday, September 14th, 2012 – 0300 Hours**

Sleep has become a foreign feeling to me since I woke up eleven days ago. The discomfort of this cell has proved to be very helpful in keeping me up. Not that I was complaining. There was much to think about rather than sleep right now.

I clear my throat of the scratchiness. Having not used my voice in so long, I forgot what it sounds like. Not much use talking right now, anyway.

Watching those rats eat the meal given to me is starting to strike a strange feeling in me. I'm angry at them. Subconsciously I can feel myself holding back some strange, primal instinct to kill them for what they're doing.

I shouldn't need the food, Gerald created me to run off of Chaos Energy, not the nutrients found in food or water. But I feel increasingly weak as days pass by. Am I not acquainted with my power any longer?

My fingers feel stiff, and moving them feels like adjusting old, rusty mechanical parts. It's been so long since I've felt the warmth of the sun. Or seen the beauty of the vivid colours that painted the world outside. It was as though it were all a distant memory, tucked far away into the recesses of my mind.

What's this? Movement?

A screaming girl is being thrown into the cell next to me. Is she a GUN agent as well? No, she wouldn't be crying. What does Noctis need of her, I wonder? Judging by the loud bang of the door, these cells are constructed of rock. No wonder it's so cold. Maybe she can hear me...

"Hello?" My voice feels alien, but, I press on. "Can you hear me, ma'am?"

She sniffles slightly, and I hear her scuffle closer to the wall, the rats quickly dart back into their holes from the sudden sound. What a relief.

"Y-yes! Who's there?" I can hear her voice waver from her sobbing. She's no older than thirteen, at least her voice says so.

"First Class Office-" I stop myself, realizing they're no longer on my side. "Shadow the Hedgehog."

Strange, she's quiet now. Does she know me, I wonder?

"So...that's where you've been," she responds solemnly.

"What do you mean?" I can't help but feel like she knows what's going on. Is she from GUN too? Her sudden gulp, and gasp, prove that my tone was harsh. I guess it's natural, after all. "Are you working for GUN as well?"

"N-no," here come the tears again. "I'm a journalist. I was interviewing patient zero of the new virus, when he started coughing, and then ... it was unlike anything I've ever seen! He looked at me like I was a meal! GUN killed him before he could do anything, but I think they know what's going on. They seem to be at all the heavily infected areas as if they know...know where it's going to be next!"

So he's released the virus already. I guess he wasn't joking about it. Is that what he injected me with before? Am I slowly descending down that same spiral? What she described...it's like she took it from a zombie movie. Come to think of it, I have been feeling increasingly frail...

"Hello?"

Oh, right. I hadn't responded. It's unusual talking to someone.

"That does seem a bit strange," I reply, but strange was an understatement.

What's going on?


	3. Prologue, III: Escape

**Limitless**

**Prologue, Part III: Escape**

**Wednesday, September 19th, 2012**

Conversing with that girl has become sparse, and I can tell she's becoming weak from lack of nourishment. Perhaps I am too, but I can't tell. From the day I was born, I had never felt hunger, or thirst, but only took part in the act for enjoyment of the flavour. I can't wait to have that again...if I get out of this alive.

I miss the cold temperature of my cell, it seemed much more livable than this sudden heat. Lifting my arm to wipe the sweat off my head feels like lifting hundred pound weights. At this point, even if I did escape, I'd be useless in defending myself, or the girl. She'd need to be protected, without a doubt. I wonder if she's still here? She could have been taken, or killed, or moved during my small nap. Perhaps it wasn't that small. The last I remember, the date was September 14th – according to the girl.

Sounds are starting to feel distant. Maybe I've been oblivious to her conversation?

An alarm is screaming outside, it feels like knives to my ears. But, it means something is happening! Was GUN coming to rescue me? Or the many others that are potentially here?

Gunshots. Someone is attacking these men, and in a large number! But it doesn't sound like the rifle GUN troops usually use. Is it someone else?

More shouting sound from in front of my cell, I can make out few of the words as _run_ or _kill them_!

Who's here?


End file.
